PITTSBURG — The City Council on Tuesday lent its support to a State Assembly bill that aims to increase the safety of crude oil transport by rail.

The bill, AB 380, would better regulate the handling and transportation of hazardous materials by rail, by implementing minimum standards, and by requiring all rail carriers to communicate regularly with the state’s Office of Emergency Services, as well as requiring rail carriers to establish a response management communications center, and take other steps to improve safety.

The resolution is a purely symbolic, but it shows that the council is aware of residents’ concerns related to crude oil transport by rail. More than 4,000 residents recently signed a petition opposing a project that would expand crude oil transport by rail in the region.

The city of Pittsburg has several train yards, including one that stocks almost exclusively oil tankers, and is one of the biggest oil tanker layups in the county.

“I congratulate the council on paying heed to the risks being posed to the Pittsburg residents by the ongoing increase in crude-by-rail,” resident Geoffrey Taylor said. “AB 380 is a good start. At least this way our fire department will have information on which to plan for incidents involving these trains — not that they’d be able to do much in the face of an oil train explosion, but at least they would know in advance.”

A couple other residents came in support of the resolution. Mayor Sal Evola said he sympathized with their concerns and that he’s following the issue of crude oil transport closely.

“We’re keeping our eyes open, and I pledge to you to continue to support things that do benefit us from a safety standpoint,” Evola said.

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